Little Things Mean a Lot
by Me
Summary: A touching scene after Pam’s death starts tale of how D.J. helps Steph and Kimmy like each other in books much earlier, allowing a happier but still funny version of the episode “Birthday Blues" - a party when few others would have one.


A/N: This shows a few of the little things that add up to why Stephanie doesn't tease Kimmy in books. It alludes to why Stephanie doesn't mind Kimmy in the third episode, and only says she "hates her" in "Just One of the Guys," shortly after Christmas; with a lot of teasing after. It also shows something about birthdays that's never touched on.

"Birthday Blues" (Jan. 16th, the nearest Saturday) is likely Kimmy's real birthday. Sweet Sixteens are special & she never says it's her actual birthday in the two other episodes; she just has parties, which matches Kimmy's weird style. The nearest Friday (the day of Steph's 10th birthday party) in "Crushed" is January 17th. Steph probably doesn't even know till she's a preteen in the TV Universe, but here she might learn earlier and – with her more concerned – mention it. Not only is "Birthday Blues" alluded to, the episode before it on the calendar – "The Dating Game," a Friday – is alluded to, as well. It would be a little different in the Book Universe, too, but timewise it fits – Vicki is more likely to have been there for the weekend than to have flown out two different times.

Finally, allusion to RKORadio's Sam Series, & Sam's first sleepover at the Tanners, check his stories out too. The huge Full House Chronology is still available at fullhousechron at aol dot com, too.

Little Things Mean a Lot

"Maybe we can visit Mommy at the beach this summer."

D.J. Tanner, ten, needed a second to orient herself, during which time her five-year-old sister, Stephanie, repeated herself. Her clock read a little after 12:00, but Danny Tanner, the father of these girls and of baby Michelle, would have said it read "too late."

"Steph…" D.J. muttered as she turned over in her bed. "How…the beach?" Stephanie had felt the need to sleep with Danny's mom. However, so as not to disturb Michelle, since there was an office in the fourth bedroom, Stephanie wasn't in the nursery with her. She and the girls' grandmother were camped out in D.J.'s room.

Stephanie wasn't asking their grandma, though. D.J. was in the same room, so Stephanie asked her. "Yeah. You remember. We sang about one at her funeral last week."

"Beach…" D.J. mumbled, trying to play word association to see if that would help. "Ocean, sand, shore…" Of course, she said to herself. "In the Sweet By and By." D.J. always wanted to be the best, but even if she had been more awake, she wouldn't have felt like celebrating solving the puzzle. "Steph, that song was about Heaven. About the great reunion we'll have someday. They just call it that because it's like a faraway country. We can't just go visit her like at a normal beach." After hugging and talking for a little while – with Danny coming in, too – they finally got to sleep.

D.J. thought about that as she changed Michelle's diaper. It had been a little over seven months now; and four since their mom's younger brother, Jesse, and their dad's best friend, Joey, had moved in to help Danny raise the girls. Of course, Pam had helped the girls learn to get along better even before she died. Stephanie would play in D.J.'s room sometimes, though she still shared the nursery with Michelle, so the baby would have peace and quiet while napping. But, incidents like that one a few days after Pam's funeral were helping her to draw closer to Stephanie, and think about her, more than she might.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Kimmy Gibbler – D.J.'s dumb and weird best friend – came in with a big bag. Joey was a professional comedian, but even he didn't know what to say about Kimmy at times. So, he just pointed to the steps. "D.J.'s upstairs changing Michelle's diaper," he said.

"Hey, Deej," Kimmy said as she put the bag down. "Whoa, diaper duty. Babies should come with a warning label." Kimmy waved her hand in front of her nose, then waited till the diaper was changed before approaching D.J..

"Hey, Kimmy. Still no jokes about being a mom; I'm impressed," D.J. said sincerely. Kimmy wouldn't have made a joke like that to be mean, but she just didn't always think about what she was saying.

Kimmy became solemn. "I know it's gotta be hard, Deej," she said tenderly.

"Thanks." D.J. smiled, glad that Kimmy, despite how she could be, was very smart about knowing how to handle Pam's tragic death. She'd really been a great support for D.J. during the grieving process, with Danny and the others were very thankful for. D.J. picked Michelle up and bounced her merrily. "What's in the bag?"

"Coal. I wanted to give Stephanie something special."

"Kimmy, that's mean," D.J. said matter-of-factly as Danny entered. She put Michelle down, and the toddler ran to him. This was one of those times where Kimmy just didn't' think; and, D.J. had to calmly explain things. Like during their first grade play; while Kimmy was on stage, she hollered backstage to D.J., "Hey, Deej, what's my line again?"

"Well," Kimmy began to explain, "if you'd been out playing with her I would have just gone out there, and teased her. But, I was afraid if I'd let it sit around, you'd use it to stoke a furnace." Danny gave her a look as she turned to him. "It'll go well with that tub I saw." The Tanners' tub that looked like an old fashioned one.

"Kimmy, we have a regular furnace," Danny said before he took Michelle downstairs.

"Could have fooled me with that old tub," Kimmy said, pointing to the bathroom once he left. "I never got the chance to tease about taking a yearly bath."

D.J. wouldn't have been able to stop it if Kimmy had just given Stephanie the bag. But now, not only culd she nip something in the bud, she also felt a little more protective of Stephanie, since they'd been growing a little closer even before Pam's death. "Kimmy, we need to talk," D.J. said. They sat on a couple chairs in the nursery. "Kimmy, I know you hear enough teasing at school that you've learned to tune it out."

"Of course, Deej; I'm gonna have to once we hit the campaign trail to become Congresswomen." That was still a very reachable goal, in their young minds.

D.J. agreed. "But, I don't want you to tease Stephanie like this. Little things, like calling her Motormouth, are fine. But, don't you think a bag of coal is a bit over the edge?" She didn't. "Well, I do. Steph takes incredible pride in being good; her conscience bothers her a lot. She's still at the age when she'll take something like a bag of coal for Christmas very personally. She'll just burst out loudly she's been bad as it is if she does something wrong. You know how I tricked our Uncle Jesse into letting me stay up and eat all that dessert in exchange for not telling for rehearsing so loudly? I know she'd have done it with me and then just blurted out crying that we'd been bad right away."

"Is this because of your mom?" Kimmy asked sincerely. She knew everyone felt awful about it, and tried hard to care about that situation. "Christmas must be tough."

"It is hard this Christmas,' D.J. admitted, "but that's not the point. I feel the need to protect my sisters. Even if I didn't, there's a limit to how far jokes should go. There are plenty of other things to make jokes about, but at her age, and with her personality, I do not want you giving Stephanie a bag of coal for Christmas," D.J. finished emphatically.

"Okay, Deej." Kimmy felt like she'd really blown it, but D.J. assured her that at least she hadn't given her the coal. Suddenly, Kimmy brightened. "Hey, as long as it's here, you told me your Uncle Jesse was a really wild one." She dashed up a couple stairs to Jesse's attic apartment before D.J. could say anything. "Hey, Santa might have left you a present," she hollered.

Jesse had been getting ready to come down at that moment. He peeked oddly into D.J.'s room. "You know, there's only one thing stranger than the idea of Joey acting like Santa Claus; that's Kimmy being Santa Claus." He walked away, shaking his head.

"Maybe you better just stoke someone's furnace with it," D.J. suggested.

"Okay. We'll find someone who needs it." Kimmy left with the bag, and D.J. shook her head, wondering just where Kimmy got such odd ideas. Oh, well, knowing Kimmy, she probably would find someone who could use it.

A few weeks later, everyone was cleaning up from Stephanie's sixth birthday party. It had gone well, and while Pam was still missed, things were getting easier.

"Birthdays are fun," Stephanie declared. Everyone agreed. "So, whose party is next?"

"You just wanna know so you can eat cake again, huh? Although, I think Michelle's got even more of your mom's love for sweets," Jesse kidded her. Stephanie nodded, the memory didn't create the sadness over the loss like it had at first.

"As far as whose party, it's tough to say," D.J. said as she threw away some paper plates.

Stephanie looked oddly at her. "It's tough to say?" She thought for a second. "I thought they were always the same time."

"Well, Kimmy just…confuses things a little," D.J. explained with a smile.

Had Stephanie had real animosity toward Kimmy, she wouldn't have cared, and wouldn't have learned this. But, D.J. got Kimmy to not tease Stephanie. So, Stephanie joked a little about Kimmy being an airhead, but showed interest, and asked questions.

"So, does Kimmy have birthdays? Or does she celebrate something weird, like her first tooth?" Stephanie inquired.

"Actually, Steph," D.J. began, trying to think of how to phrase it. "She doesn't have parties at normal times. Her family's odd, they don't often celebrate in the same month. But, her birthday was yesterday. You were born five years and about twenty hours after she was," D.J. told her. Kimmy didn't celebrate birthdays like normal people – in fact, she didn't do very much like normal people. "So, it's hard to say when they'll get around to celebrating it. But, I promise I'll bring you some cake," D.J. finished. She thanked her.

Stephanie puzzled over the notion, till Kimmy came. "Hey, squirt. Got any cake left?"

"No, it's all gone. But, why did you almost have my birthday?" Stephanie wondered.

"Actually, we share birthdays with people all over the world," Danny said.

"That's right, kid," Jesse told Stephanie, "you got the same birthday as some great people, and some who aren't so great. Then there's Kimmy, who's just weird."

Stephanie hummed. As she thought about it, D.J. wasn't sure what she'd say. She didn't tease Kimmy a lot, but did make some about Kimmy not thinking much. Thankfully, they were pretty mild, and Stephanie was getting good at stopping after one or two. D.J. was glad she'd begun to work on Kimmy and Stephanie tolerating each other. She was learning to be proactive in helping Stephanie, too, as well as helping Michelle, since she was the oldest, besides their dad, on the second floor.

Stephanie finally spoke. "Okay. But, if you're going to have a birthday on different days, here's some advice. Don't pick Christmas, or you'll only get presents once." She turned to D.J. and said, "She's such an airhead she'd try."

D.J. was about to talk, but Kimmy spoke too fast, as if finally realizing. "Oh, yeah, good point. Your sister's right on top of things, Deej."

D.J. simply agreed. "She is, isn't she?" She would save a talk about not actually calling Kimmy names for later. And, the names would disappear in a year or two, with light jokes being made after that, not the harsh jokes they might have hurled at each other.

So it was that Stephanie and Kimmy liked each other, though they weren't really close. Kimmy could take a few jokes, as long as they weren't too severe. Kimmy would make them herself at times to throw people off of when she was really dumb, too. For instance, while she once asked D.J. what time the 6:00 news came on, even Kimmy was smart enough to know that. D.J. had even said "please be joking."

"Hey, Deej; thanks for helping with the baseball team," Stephanie said five years later, as she entered D.J.'s room. D.J., almost sixteen now, had the old nursery. Stephanie and Michelle, eleven and six, now shared a bedroom. Jesse was in the attic, as he'd been since the start – though now with his wife Becky and twin one-year-olds - and Joey ws still in the basement. "I might have been anxious, thinking it was a date, when we went out for pizza tonight, otherwise," Stephanie continued.

"I know. If I wasn't so proactive, and didn't think as much, I might have told you it was a date, anyway; just to play around," D.J. confessed.

Stephanie said she'd have fallen for it, too. "It's a busy month this month. You doing anything the 23rd?"

"No, why?" D.J. thought she knew, but wasn't sure.

"I was thinking that would make a good time to invite Sam over," Stephanie said. "She's never had a family dinner where people talk and pay attention to each other."

"You're doing such a great job with her. Mom would be so proud," D.J. complimented her. Stephanie had met Sam the first week of school this year, and had worked with a neglected five-year-old a lot on manners, good behavior, and so on. "Sure, that would be great. Hard to believe you've known her almost five months. Almost as long as Steve and I have known each other; we've got such a great night planned tomorrow night."

Stephanie nodded. "Oh, yeah; your six month anniversary of going together." D.J. told her what they'd planned. "I'll bet Kimmy's excited, too."

"She is; she really seems happy for us."

"I mean, with her sixteenth birthday tomorrow." D.J. gave Stephanie a look of shock. Stephanie took it as meaning more of the same. "Don't tell me; she's celebrating it some other day. What is it? Is she painting herself green and having her Sweet Sixteen party on St. Patrick's Day?"

D.J. shook her head. "No. Steph, thank you, I totally forgot!" She thought for a moment. "But, what am I going to do?" she asked as they walked downstairs. Michelle noticed her look, and asked what was wrong. "Michelle, Steve and I have this big night all planned for tomorrow; and, now Steph just reminded me it's Kimmy's sixteenth birthday, too! And, I don't have anything planned!"

"Go to Chuck E. Cheese," Michelle suggested.

"Michelle, most sixteen-year-olds don't want birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese," Stephanie said as they sat in the living room to wait for Stephanie to be picked up. D.J. and Steve were going on a date to the same place.

"What am I going to do? She's my best friend; if she ever wanted a birthday party on her actual birthday, this is it, she told me!"

"So? It's the sixteenth starting at 12:01, right?" Michelle asked.

D.J. rested her head in her hand. "Michelle, even if she wanted it at Chuck E. Cheese, I know they're not open then."

"She's got a point about the time though," Becky said. "Jesse and Joey have that sports complex that advertises on their radio show. Maybe you could get in there."

"Aunt Becky's right; it's short notice, but call friends, tell Kimmy it's come as you are, and kick it off then. I think when they have their overnight things, they lock the doors at 11:00, so it'll have to start before, but the majority will be on the 16th." Danny left to call.

Michelle wanted to go, too. "My video should be done by then." She planned to watch a video while Danny and Vicki, Jesse and Becky, and Joey and his date, had a late dinner.

"And, you'll be sound asleep by then, I know," Becky said as Steve came in.

Stephanie said she would be, too. "Don't they need chaperones for an all-nighter?"

Becky said Stephanie was right, as D.J. told Steve the problem. "But, Joey's always good for a laugh, and your dad and Uncle Jesse would probably enjoy it."

"D.J.'s told me some stories, like about her thirteenth birthday. I don't know if Kimmy's gonna want Mr. Tanner as a chaperone," Steve pointed out.

"I don't think she'll mind, as long as they don't play 'Spin the Bottle,'" D.J. said.

Danny came in after a moment. "Hey, Steve. Guess what? I talked to the owner, and I got in touch with the other group that's reserved the place; they said it's okay."

"What other group?" D.J. inquired, a little concerned.

"It's just a group of teens and a few parents. Their boy wanted it as a treat before he and his family leave as missionaries on Monday." D.J. rolled her eyes. "Deej, trust me on this, Kimmy will get a chance to meet new people. You can share your experiences in Spain. It'll be fun. And, the great thing is, we'll have plenty of chaperones."

The doorbell rang; one of the boys from Stephanie's team was there. As she prepared to leave, Stephanie said, "Deej, this is Kimmy we're talking about. It's a weird combination so it might be right up her alley." D.J. hoped Stephanie was right.

Just in case, she called Kimmy a few hours early, just before she and Steve left. "Kimmy, happy birthday early."

"Thanks, Deej. But, it's not for another what, five hours?"

D.J. breathed a small sigh of relief. "I was hoping you'd say that. How would you like a birthday party in the wee hours of the morning?"

"Wow; sounds intriguing. I was thinking it would be tomorrow night, though."

"Well, this will make sure your birthday starts off right. Meet us at the Bay Area Sports Complex by 10:30 PM, because they lock the doors at 11:00." She decided she better tell Kimmy about the other group. "Oh, and there'll be some other people, too; there was a bit of a scheduling mix-up." She hung up, and then told Steve, "I have to call all our friends, and tell them 'come as you are.'" I hope you don't mind, we might have to go later and cut our date a little short. But, of course, you're welcome to come to Kimmy's."

"Hey, no problem, Deej; I know you care about Kimmy. Goodness knows, she needs help sometimes," Steve said.

With Danny helping, and a couple parents volunteering to come as chaperones, D.J. was able to get all of Kimmy's and her friends to come. Of course, they'd also had to call around and get party decorations, with Jesse and Becky going to pick them up. Michelle had worked on making signs after supper downstairs with a few of the adults, instead of watching her video, while the others ate. Stephanie helped a bit once she got home, too.

Danny, Jesse, and Joey went with D.J. and Steve, and got there about 10:15. "Sorry you and Vicki had to cut your date short," D.J. said.

"Oh, it's okay. She's here for the weekend, so we had something really special planned tomorrow night, anyway." Danny walked up to the head of the sports complex as the others got things out of the car. "Mr. Peabody, thanks again for letting us do this on such short notice."

"Hey, it's like you said, Jesse and Joey'll be sure to mention it on the air, hopefully a number of times," he hinted toward them, "and that means free advertising."

Jesse agreed. "Hey, that's right, man. Batting cages, miniature golf, dodgeball, all sorts of things we can talk about doin'." He walked up to another person putting up a couple banners. "Hey, hope you don't mind, we gotta put this 'Sweet Sixteen' banner my niece colored somewhere where it's sure to be seen right away."

"That's quite all right," the missionary, Joe Pringle, said with a laugh, as he introduced himself, his wife, and their two children. "God gives grace to the humble."

"Yeah, ever since my sister died, boy, he's taught me a lot about that," Jesse said as he started to hang the banner directly above their sign. "Oh, Bulgaria, huh? My dad's from Greece. Came over with his parents as a teenager; they went back once he got settled in with his own extermination business, after Pam and I were born. Papouli took care of me a lot those first few years, though."

Mr. Pringle and his son, Jason, talked with Jesse about Nick Katsopolis' experiences, while the others put up decorations. Soon, Kimmy showed up.

Kimmy was stunned as she looked at the banners together. "Hey, Deej. Whoa. 'Happy birthday, Kimmy. Good luck in Bulgaria.'" She turned to D.J.. "Is part of this party going to be in Bulgaria?"

"No, that's the other group. Kimmy, I want you to meet the Pringle family. They're going to be missionaries there. This is my best friend, Kimmy Gibbler; it's her Sweet Sixteen we're celebrating," D.J. explained.

They introduced themselves, and Mrs. Pringle asked, "Do you know where Bulgaria is?"

"Sure. That's where the Battle of the Bulg was fought." She turned to D.J.. "I told you it couldn't be pronounced 'bulj.' It's Bulgaria, not Buljaria."

Mr. Pringle corrected her gently. "Actually, Bulgaria is on the other side of Europe from the Battle of the Bulge. It was in the Soviet bloc for years."

Kimmy was amazed. "When I was growing up, they always made it sound like the Soviets had a lot more than one block under their control."

"I'm sorry for laughing," Jason said as he got over his chuckles. "What they mean by bloc is a group of countries. Anyway, we're really glad you came."

"Hey, I'm glad you came, too. The more the merrier. Although, when D.J. told me there was another group coming, I was kind of hoping for the high school's wrestling team or something," Kimmy admitted.

Jenna looked at her mother. The thirteen-year-old asked, "Why didn't I have any funny surprises like this for my big slumber party last weekend?"

"I guess God knew you'd be here all night with us anyway, Dear. Now, you'll have more girls than just your best friend with you here," Mrs. Pringle noted.

"Sure," D.J. said, sensing that the girl might be a little anxious about leaving. "And Joey helps raise us, since our mom died; he could even do a comedy routine for us later."

"Hey, I thought I recognized him. I've seen your act. That would be great if you could do some comedy, if it's no bather," Mr. Pringle said to Joey.

"Oh, sure, I could come up with something pretty fast. Maybe once they close the batting cages and the miniature golf course at three. Of course, by then Jesse could do a routine to make you laugh," Joey remarked.

Kimmy and her friends had lots of fun with Jason and his, engaging in a number of boy versus girl matches, among other things. A little after three, everyone started to file in to the dodgeball area. "Wow; this has been great, Deej. How did you come up with this?"

"Well…it wasn't totally my doing," D.J. hesitated.

Steve interrupted. "It was sort of a spur of the moment thing."

"Oh, I see. Like the time I wanted to hitchhike to Berkeley over Halloween," Kimmy said. "But, since you're more proactive with your sisters, and more careful because eof it, you talked me out of it and we stayed up late making crank calls."

It was a weird analogy, but it worked. "Sure. We didn't stay up much past 2:00 then, and wouldn't have either way."

Steve added, "And besides, it worked out great; now D.J. and I can have our six month anniversary tomorrow night. Or, wait; that would be tonight, wouldn't it?"

Kimmy looked a little confused and hurt for a second, till D.J. said, "Well, truthfully, Steve and I did make plans before I remember it was the same night. But, then I realized I could give you something special here. And, I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah." Kimmy brightened. "Yeah, you did, Deej. I never would have thought of this. Hey, you know what this means? I'll be awake the minute I turn 16!"

"Right; look at the bright side."

Kimmy looked at her watch. "In fact, it's going to be here…right…now!" She stood up and announced, "Attention, everyone! As of this very minute, I am sixteen!" The group applauded politely, and started singing "Happy Birthday." Kimmy turned to D.J. again and said, "So, why did we have the cake at 12:01? We should have waited till now."

"Yeah, that would have been better, wouldn't it?" D.J. said. Not only would it have been a great plan, but if she'd known the exact time, she probably would hve done it. At least now, she'd been honest with Kimmy, which was the important part.

Kimmy shrugged as D.J. thought about it. "Oh, well, you found a way to invite a bunch more people to my party. And, they're really cool. Even the missionaries."

Jason agreed. He congratulated Kimmy, and admitted that he and his friends had made a few prank calls when they wee nine or ten.

Mr. Pringle said, "We're just normal people, who just happen to be doing something not many can do. And, what we consider to be wildly funny, even downright crazy, like my son and those prank calls, the world sees as tame. Just like Joey's got a real niche with his comedy, but some people like the really raunchy stuff instead, sadly."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Joey began. "Before our dodgeball matchups and opening of birthday and going away presents, I have a special surprise. I't the kind of song that I think Kimmy and everyone will appreciate, because we can laugh. Come on up, Danny and Jesse."

"I don't have to sing this, do I?" Jesse asked, afraid of how weird it would be.

Joey grinned knowingly as he handed them papers. "Oh, I think you'll want to. Because my best friend here prepared a meal tonight," he said, pointing at Danny. "And, it just inspired me to write a song. If you know 'Turkey in the Straw,' you'll know the melody, so clap along, as I present to you, 'Turkey in a Boot.'" Someone brought Jesse a guitar, and Joey pulled out two harmonicas, one for Danny and one for himself. "Just play as I sing, and then join me as I play between the choruses."

"I don't know what's worse; that you tried to cook that or that I'm up here singing about it," Jesse muttered to Danny.

"I was preparin' a special treat," Joey began, "for a special friend I once did meet. I spilled some stuff on my bus'ness suit. And that inspired turkey in a boot.

"Turkey in a boot, turkey in a boot. Better than a bunch o' beans, those'll make you toot." Jesse had been playing slowly, and now had to stop as he was too busy chuckling. "I made a special meal called turkey in a boot."

Danny shook his head as Joey played the harmonica. "You're amazing," he told Joey.

"Went up to my closet, I got more stuff. Filled a slipper with a big cream puff. Filled some socks with a buncha fish an' chips. Others I filled with nachos and dips."

Everyone laughed and clapped during the chorus – which was slightly different, as Joey used a line ending in "I don't give a hoot." Meanwhile, Jenna leaned over. "I hope he gets us all copies," she told D.J.. D.J. said he'd gotten dozens of copies just before they got to the sports complex.

"I hope he doesn't serve this. This meal sounds weird, even for me," Kimmy confessed.

Jesse and Danny barely contained their giggles and played, as Joey sang about different foots made in shirts, hats, and other things. By the time Joey's song was over, everyone was laughing. Before he and Danny sat down, Jesse managed to speak between chuckles. "This is one time I do not mind singing a parody." Once they were seated, he asked Danny why he would cook turkey in a boot.

"It was actually an idea a guest on our show had," Danny explained.

"We need to get you better guests," Jesse told him.

At 6:30 in the morning, everyone was tired. They were about to leave, when Kimmy turned to D.J.. "Deej, thanks for making this a fun birthday." She said "you're welcome," and Kimmy asked, "So, how'd you finally remember?"

D.J. wasn't sure whether or not to say it, and finally did. "Actually, Steph reminded me. I'm sorry I didn't remember first."

"Figures. I still remember she told me not to have my party on Christmas. I guess I did confuse people a bit, with how I'd have parties at different times. I just wanted people to notice me, to see I was fun to be around. Anyway, tell her thanks."

"I will. So, you're not mad at me for not remembering right away?"

"No. Well, maybe a little. But, you made up for it tonight. Or, this morning. Or, whatever time it is. I guess I can understand. I'm really happy for you and Steve." She paused a second, and said, "Of course, now I don't have anything to do tonight. It's too late to fly out for Wrestlemania. My parents can get me to one in a couple weeks, though."

"Sure; spread it out a bit. We can do something special together next weekend. Steve, maybe you can find someone to go out with Kimmy this evening," D.J. suggested. Steve said he might be able to arrange a date.

The men and D.J. dropped Steve off, then went home. Becky greeted them in the kitchen, as they came through the back door. "Jess, you're just in time to help me feed the boys. They go up early this morning"

"You mean they got up late last night. No, actually, it's late tonight, since I never went to bed." Jesse plopped into a chair, as Danny said he was going up to take a nap. Jesse put his copy of the song down, and took the spoon. "Ah, well, I guess I can do this on muscle memory. But, I'll tell ya, all nighters just aren't as easy when you're thirty as they are when youre twenty." He started to feed one, and said, "Oh, by the way, you gotta read that parody. You like folksy stuff in Nebraska; you're parents'll love it."

Becky took a break and began reading. She laughed. "You're right; this is great. I've got to send this to them. Joey, how did you…" She noticed he was asleep in a chair. "Well, I can ask later."

"Joey did that song, then did a whole routine, too; everyone loved him," D.J. said as Kimmy entered.

"Hey, Deej. Thanks for making this a memorable Sweet Sixteen. Now, I can learn the words to that song Joey did." She thought for a second, and said, "Maybe I could try to make some of that food after all. Filling a shoe with tiramisu sounds interesting."

D.J. wasn't sure what to say; it didn't sound like it would taste very good. "Really, I think you were right the first time; it's a little too weird."

"You're probably right. Anyway, Steve left a message just before my parents and I got home; he said he'd thought of someone. So, I'll have something to do."

"I'm glad. It might not have been quite what you envisioned. But, it's a lot better than it could have bee, huh?"

Kimmy agreed. "I'm glad I have you as a friend," Kimmy said as they hugged.


End file.
